If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

If such ppl exist, they're weirdos. Everyone loves the practice of celebrating, getting presents, getting around with your family (ok, sometimes this may not be liked), and stuff, no matter if it's called like Jizzus or Hannukkah (spelling?) or Buddhaparty

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Originally Posted by nosjack202

I have not met these people myself, but it seems like every year more and more of these people come out of the woodwork and say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas", just for the sake of being politically correct.
Seems like some of you have never heard of these people, so I guess its just something that happens in America (which I highly doubt).

Basically, I don't have a problem with people saying "Happy Holidays," (although I would rather them just say "Merry Christmas") but why do I have so say something or not say something, because it MIGHT offend someone, just for the sake of political correctness?
It seems like Christians are having something shoved down OUR throats

If more and more people are saying happy holidays (not a trend I'm aware of), it's because:
A) Thankgiving, Christmas and Easter are all quite close to eachother, hence the 'holiday season', and 'happy holidays'
B) As many Western states absorb foreign immigrants from all parts of the globe with all sorts of religions, many of which happen to fall on the time-frame of Christmas, more non-Christians become friends with Christians and saying 'merry Christmas' to a Muslim or Hindi is silly. So when you, say, send an E-Mail to all your friends, 'happy holidays' is a fair choice of words
C) Happy Holidays is alliterative, which always sounds good.

A member of the Most Ancient, Puissant and Honourable Society of Silly Old Duffers

Secret Sig Content Box!

Both male and female walruses have tusks and have been observed using these overgrown teeth to help pull themselves out of the water.

The mustached and long-tusked walrus is most often found near the Arctic Circle, lying on the ice with hundreds of companions. These marine mammals are extremely sociable, prone to loudly bellowing and snorting at one another, but are aggressive during mating season. With wrinkled brown and pink hides, walruses are distinguished by their long white tusks, grizzly whiskers, flat flipper, and bodies full of blubber.
Walruses use their iconic long tusks for a variety of reasons, each of which makes their lives in the Arctic a bit easier. They use them to haul their enormous bodies out of frigid waters, thus their "tooth-walking" label, and to break breathing holes into ice from below. Their tusks, which are found on both males and females, can extend to about three feet (one meter), and are, in fact, large canine teeth, which grow throughout their lives. Male walruses, or bulls, also employ their tusks aggressively to maintain territory and, during mating season, to protect their harems of females, or cows.
The walrus' other characteristic features are equally useful. As their favorite meals, particularly shellfish, are found near the dark ocean floor, walruses use their extremely sensitive whiskers, called mustacial vibrissae, as detection devices. Their blubbery bodies allow them to live comfortably in the Arctic region—walruses are capable of slowing their heartbeats in order to withstand the polar temperatures of the surrounding waters.
The two subspecies of walrus are divided geographically. Atlantic walruses inhabit coastal areas from northeastern Canada to Greenland, while Pacific walruses inhabit the northern seas off Russia and Alaska, migrating seasonally from their southern range in the Bering Sea—where they are found on the pack ice in winter—to the Chukchi Sea. Female Pacific walruses give birth to calves during the spring migration north.
Only Native Americans are currently allowed to hunt walruses, as the species' survival was threatened by past overhunting. Their tusks, oil, skin, and meat were so sought after in the 18th and 19th centuries that the walrus was hunted to extinction in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

^The first reason is why I say happy holidays starting on Halloween. It's just easier. And yet I rarely meet anyone offended if I say merry Christmas, but plenty of people I know (some in my extended family) get plenty riled up when I happen to say happy holidays. Because they buy into that supposed subversion of their culture Rupert Murdoch's empire sells every year. Get over your self-righteousness about your faith supposedly being attacked by the godless atheist/liberal/politically-correct entity that sprouts up every year just to pick on poor ol' you. Meanwhile I'll be getting fat on turkey and chocolate and buying (and receiving) presents from others, like the holiday season is really about.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Why do you think people are offended when they hear the word "Christmas," or when ever they hear even someone else mention the Nativity story and they get all their feathers ruffled

I respect those people who don't use the words "Christmas" and don't celebrate the holiday as a Christian one, but why do they have to boycott buisiness who have "Merry Christmas" on their front door? And why are they forcing everyone else to speak in a politically correct way? Obviously they are entitled to their opinion, but why do they force others to not say something they don't like? I'm not trying to force Christmas down anybody's throat, and I don't think most Christians are.

As I said before, I respect those people, so if you are one of them I would like to hear form you, and I mean no offense to anyone.

So please, discuss

Why would you respect those people? I hope it is for another reason than because they overreact to our current American form of celebrating the Sun God's rebirth.

Really. If that is why you respect them it is very poor.

between you, me, and the internet, christians are always trying to shove something down someone's throat - it is our historical legacy - this is not an uncommon legacy for a popularized prophet formed cult

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Because there are some people who campaigning to remove a lot of religious references in public life. The same people who try to remove memorial crosses from public land because they think it conflicts with seperation of church and state. That, and because, in America at least, you've got other holidays at the same time, like Kwanza and Hanukah. Even though the former is a nationalist construct and the latter insignificant and unimportant in comparison to other Jewish holidays.

Originally Posted by A.J.P. Taylor

Peaceful agreement and government by consent are possible only on the basis of ideas common to all parties; and these ideas must spring from habit and from history. Once reason is introduced, every man, every class, every nation becomes a law unto itself; and the only right which reason understands is the right of the stronger. Reason formulates universal principles and is therefore intolerant: there can be only one rational society, one rational nation, ultimately one rational man. Decisions between rival reasons can be made only by force.

When do I stop being a justified warrior? When I've killed a million bad civilians? When I've killed three million bad civilians? According to a warsimulation by the Pentagon in 1953 the entire area of Russia would've been reduced to ruins with 60 million casualties. All bad Russians. 60 million bad guys. By how many million ''bad'' casualties do I stop being a knight of justice? Isn't that the question those knights must ask themselves? If there's no-one left, and I remain as the only just one,

Then I'm God.

Originally Posted by Louis Napoleon III, Des Idees Napoleoniennes

Governments have been established to aid society to overcome the obstacles which impede its march. Their forms have been varied according to the problems they have been called to cure, and according to character of the people they have ruled over. Their task never has been, and never will be easy, because the two contrary elements, of which our existence and the nature of society is composed, demand the employment of different means. In view of our divine essence, we need only liberty and work; in view of our mortal nature, we need for our direction a guide and a support. A government is not then, as a distinguished economist has said, a necessary ulcer; it is rather the beneficent motive power of all social organisation.

Originally Posted by Wolfgang Held

I walked into those baracks [of Buchenwald concentrationcamp], in which there were people on the three-layered bunkbeds. But only their eyes were alive. Emaciated, skinny figures, nothing more but skin and bones. One thinks that they are dead, because they did not move. Only the eyes. I started to cry. And then one of the prisoners came, stood by me for a while, put a hand on my shoulder and said to me, something that I will never forget: ''Tränen sind denn nicht genug, mein Junge, Tränen sind denn nicht genug.''

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Originally Posted by Dr. Croccer

Because there are some people who campaigning to remove a lot of religious references in public life. That, and because, in America at least, you've got other holidays at the same time, like Kwanza and Hanukah. Even though the former is a nationalist construct and the latter insignificant and unimportant in comparison to other Jewish holidays.

Christmas isn't that important to Christianity. Hanukah is more significant historically and mythologically to Judaism than Christmas is to Christianity. Jefferson and Franklin were two of those people who campaigned to remove religion from public life. I know, say it say so, but it is. Or was. So confusing.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Well, depends a lot on what the offense is. I've never seen Merry Christmas become a negative thing on its own. Many of the businesses here use Merry Christmas on their windows. Only government businesses are really specific about it and even then rarely so. As far as nativity scenes and things which are explicit religious symbols, yeah I can see the irritation they cause people and can understand suing to get them removed.

However I'd say I get yelled at for using happy holidays more often. There seems to be a knee jerk reaction by many many people to react as though happy holidays is somehow insulting christians. Most of the time I'm not even referring to christmas which always makes for an awkward 'oh sorry'. I do have to admit though that there are people who exist who might make a big stink about something like that but they seem to be far more rare than those who make a stink about the opposite.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

While there may be some people who are offended when hearing "Christmas", I think there are very few of them but a lot of myths about them spread to try to rally and fire up Christians. Apparently Satan's never real enough, so the pastors need to go invent new demons.
Personally, I don't care if someone says "Christmas" "Happy Holidays" or "Scooby Dooby Doo." What I do have a problem with, however, is government endorsement of religion.

If the soul is impartial in receiving information, it devotes to that information the share of critical investigation the information deserves, and its truth or untruth thus becomes clear. However, if the soul is infected with partisanship for a particulat opinion or sect, it accepts without a moment’s hesitation the information that is agreeable to it.—Ibn Khaldun.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

Originally Posted by elfdude

Christians like to say that in the UK when they're prevented from wearing a cruicifix to work and such, but in their case they probably are. They're still in a slim majority but most of those who call themselves Christians don't really care about religion, they will go to church if it's a funeral or something.

Re: Why are some people offended when the word "Christmas" is used?

I tend to think it's a lingering aversion to saying "Mass" among atheists and protestants. They know just how beautiful the Catholic Mass is, and refuse to go anywhere near it because of its sacrificial nature. Saying "Christmas" is awfully, dangerously close to saying "Christ's Mass". All cognitive dissonance must be expunged from a society which has rejected God, apparently.